Thanks for Nothing
by somethingaussie
Summary: 3 young mutants; 2 disagreeable twins and a uni student on holidays are about to find out exactly what its like to be one of the most feared species on the planet. Drug raids, hitchhikers and house fires ensure as they come to terms with their gifts. R&R!
1. Sleepless in Seattle

Disclaimer: As you probably know, to claim X-Men and any of its characters is plagiarism, so we won't claim them. But the additional characters and story line is ours. Shayne Paterson created by Nikita Coleman and Brooke Turner created Tamlin Winlaw, Also Michael derived with a bit of inspiration from Tamlin's real life twin brother Jared. All of these characters are original, so please do not replicate our work in any way or we will be shitty, just as the creators of X-men would be if we were to copy them.

Chapter 1: Sleepless in Seattle.

__

My eyes glowed a dangerous electric blue, But the face before me glared at me with the utmost disgust, but I didn't care what was happening, I was furious. The lights all exploded at once, flames erupted from the kitchen beside me lighting the dimmed room with reds and oranges. I looked back down at the face, it had a knife readied in its hand. The face poised the knife in the air and thrusted it towards me. 

I woke suddenly, with a gasp. I remember the lights, the fire, the expression on a somehow featureless face, and the figure with the knife, as odd as it sounds I am used to it. I have been having the same dream for nearly a week. 

And this morning as usual I woke to it. 

I slide out of bed and subconsciously made my way downstairs. The dream hasn't left me alone for the past week, I am always thinking about, it terrified me when I first had it. But now it has me curious, what it is about? And who is that face? 

I could already hear the television on downstairs.

"Does Theo ever sleep" I said out loud, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I felt so tired, I hadn't been getting much sleep lately. I groaned as I looked at the clock on the wall, It was only 6:30. And Theo was already in his usual position on the couch in front of the television. 

"Are Dad and Kath up yet?" I asked him.

"Nup" Theo replied, without even looking away from the television. I shook my head and dragged myself to the kitchen.

I helped myself to a bowl of muesli and a cup of tasteless coffee. Not long after, I heard Dad and Kath come down the stairs. Kath was laughing at one of Dads stupid Irish jokes and fixing her already perfect hair, supposedly they're funny. 

I looked up at Kath, she met me with a smile and Dad grunted some form of greeting, once they had made their breakfast, they sat at the table next to me. I smiled grimly. Kath smiled back harmlessly, but there was still something sinister about her.

She was a short, trim woman, she was well dressed. Her brunette hair (I think) was cut in a short pixie style do and was always neat, but for some reason I couldn't warm to her. 

Her son 'Theo' was a complete and utter dumbarse, he spends most of his time playing computer games or watching TV, a typical couch potato. I'm pretty sure he hasn't got too many friends, Kath thinks he's special, which I highly doubt. 

As for Dad, well its like he's under a spell, he can never see the side I see of Kath, either that or he wears rose tinted contacts. He's changed so much since he left mum, he makes out as if he's lost his youth and is making up for it now. He's wear's all the trendiest clothes, Kath won't be seen near him if he isn't.

Personally I couldn't wait to get home, to New York. Seattle is so boring. I missed Mum, my older sister Maxi and all my other Uni friends, but mostly the coffee. I sat there thoughtfully twirling my short blonde hair in my fingers.

Kath gave me a frustrated look "You shouldn't do that, they say it causes you to lose your hair. 

I let my arm drop and sighed.

"Theo honey, have you had breakky?" Kath shouted over to the couch.

"No, can you make me something," the couch whined back. 

__

"Spoiled Brat!" I thought to myself as I rinsed the dishes and headed back upstairs. I made my way to Kath's stupid pink bathroom. Pink, honestly.

I looked at myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth, for some reason, no matter how dim the room, my eyes seemed to glow the brightest blue. Even as a kid, in all the photo's my eyes would just glow.

I made my way back to my room, shoved on a pair of mud wash jeans and a "NY campus" tee. I hated how many mirrors I had in my room, no matter what I could see myself everywhere. Which is Ok if you vain like Kath, but it pissed me off. I would remove them but KATH feels she has to dominate everything in the house including my room. I took a minute to stare at my many reflections.

Besides the fact that I eat like a pig, I am quite slim, but not fit. I did work out at the gym occasionally, but I haven't since I've been on vacation at in Seattle. 

I had finished putting on my make-up. My hair was messy, but I like it that way, you can get away with it, with short hair. I smiled, I knew how much my very appearance annoyed Kath, especially my messy hair. Let alone my tattoo and piercings. I shoved on a pair on sandals, grabbed my handbag and trotted downstairs.

I was about to walk out the front door, when Kath came up behind me "Well aren't you gonna tell me where you are going!" she whined in my ear.

I spun around, gave the dirtiest look I manage and said "No", and stormed out the door. I could hear her cursing behind my back and laughed to myself.

__

"So….what to do on a Sunday morning in suburban Seattle," I sighed. As I headed down the street, it annoyed me how all the houses looked the same, doesn't anybody have an imagination around here.

It gave me a quick idea, what if.. I built a giant irregular rainbow house smack bang in the centre of 'boring street', I laughed at the prospect. I don't think the neighbours would approve somehow.

__

"So.. I wonder what Seattle guys are like", I mentally slapped myself "_Dah Shayne you have a boyfriend all the way in New York who is probably dying to see you again"_. I thought to myself. 

__

"Yeh Seattle guys are probably boring anyway" I said without convincing myself.

By now people were out mowing lawns, gardening and stuff like that, I waved to some of them, but they just looked at my NY shirt and frowned at me, I eventually gave up.

It was about eight'0'clock when I reached the local grocer, I'm just guessing, I left my watch at home. I brought myself, a Vanilla Milk and sat outside at one of those little café tables with the umbrellas. And looked out at the boring citizens as I drank my milk. Why did Dad pick a place where everyone was.. well OLD!, I just noticed this, I mean of all the places, a old community. Typical. 

I guessed it was about nine, by the time I finished my milk and bagging out all the oldies. I sighed, _"I suppose I better go face the music, seeing there was nothing else to do." _Plus it looks like it was about to storm. Great stuck in the house with Kath for a day.She'll probably have Dad on my case by now, great. 

Well was right, about Kath, but Dad was no where to be seen. By the time I got home, it was already drizzling, Kath was there waiting to start lecturing me. On stuff like respect, her house, Theo would never do such a thing, Dad should be more concerned. I did listen to some of it. But the last one got me started.

I stared straight into her eyes "KATH! Where I go is absolutely none of your fucking business!," I noticed the lights start to blink for a second there. The thunder started to roar outside.

"Well, you father doesn't seem to be too concerned, and since you are under my roof, I am think it is my business!" she said in a stern but calm voice.

Ok, that pissed me off. "I couldn't give a fuck what you think!" By now I could feel eyes start to burn, but not with tears, something inside my snapped. The lights and the TV blew, and sparks were spat from the kitchen, lightening flickered into the house. Everywhere around me glowed electric blue, even Kath's face. 

"How dare you try and run my life, you are not my fucking mother!". 

At this moment the entire kitchen erupted into flame. Putting a yellow and red glow into the living room, contrasting with the already eyrie blue and the constant flash of lightening. 

I could feel my hairs standing on their end, my fists where tight, I couldn't open them if I tried. I looked down at Kath through the flashes of yellows and blue. 

To my surprise she looked absolutely horror-struck, which would have been very satisfying, If I hadn't just realised what was happening around me, the entire living area was on fire. 

Not only that but every electrical source in the house was sending out in strings of electricity, straight at me, But I couldn't feel a thing except anger. 

When I finally focused back on Kath, she had knife poised and ready in her hand. A huge fork of lighting struck somewhere near and was followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

The lightening flashed in Kath's manic eyes. She was looking at me with a mixture absolute disgust and horror .

"You're a mutant!" she screamed as she backed away clasping the knife tightly. 


	2. Breaking the Banks

Disclaimer: As you probably know, to claim X-Men and any of its characters is plagiarism, so we won't claim them. But the additional characters and story line is ours. Shayne Paterson created by Nikita Coleman and Brooke Turner created Tamlin Winlaw, Also Michael derived with a bit of inspiration from Tamlin's real life twin brother Jared. All of these characters are original, so please do not replicate our work in any way or we will be shitty, just as the creators of X-men would be if we were to copy them.  
  
Chapter 2: Breaking the Banks  
  
On the other side of Seattle.  
  
I sat in the dimly lit dinning room of my apartment, my laptop computer balanced on the table in front of me, which was covered in paper. The faint glow emitted from the screen cast a ghostly light on my face.  
  
Flicking through one of the booklets, and sipping my hot cup of coffee, I paused to highlight a sentence, and then return to my computer, scrolling through pages of text. Suddenly a deep voice penetrated my thoughts, breaking my concentration and startling me so much that I jumped, spilling my hot cup of coffee all over my desk.  
  
'Bloody hell.Oh shit, damn.' I jumped out of the way of the hot stream of coffee running onto the floor, a series of curses escaping from my lips. It was Michael, my twin brother. He was trying to talk to me telepathically, inside my head. It was a way of communicating with each other we had discovered at an early age - it worked even when we were miles apart and had proved extremely useful in the past.  
  
'What do you want?' I sent angrily, via out telepathic link, pressing my index finger to my temple, brow furrowed in concentration.  
  
'Brooke! Get out of the house, NOW!' his voice yelled into my head, making me wince. It felt like he was right there, yelling in my ear.  
  
'I'll meet you at the corner of Bennet Street! Got to go.' I felt his telepathic link break off, signified by a sense of emptiness similar to when you're talking into a dead phone.  
  
I sent out a thought strand, trying to reach him again, but failed. From what I could gather from the brief moment we had connected, he was in trouble of some sort. What else could cause him to break off like that? Or maybe he was just being a total prick, as usual. I sighed, and then I looked at the mess on my desk and the rapidly spreading pool of coffee, and desperately tried to get it off my papers.  
  
Giving up, I threw my work angrily on the floor and grabbed my jacket and purse. 'This better be good Michael' I muttered to myself, as I hastily tied my dark hair with a lose hair band, and headed out of my apartment, slamming the door behind me.  
  
I jogged quickly down the block, receiving curious glances from passer-bys. My hair was swinging in a ponytail behind me as I slowed and turned down Bennet Street. I came to a stop next to a beaten-up rubbish bin at the corner, near the entrance to an alley.  
  
After catching my breath, I looked around impatiently for a sign of my brother and glanced at my watch, which read 6:15pm.  
  
'God, where are you Michael?!' I said irritably to myself, tapping my foot impatiently.  
  
I took out my frustration on a pebble on the cracked footpath, kicking it angrily into the middle of the worn bitumen road.  
  
What seemed like an hour had passed since I last spoke to Michael now, and it was starting to get dark. A car drove past, music blaring out the window. Still no Michael. What if something has happened to him? I thought, nervously glancing around the corner, half expecting something to pounce at me.  
  
I felt something brush past my face, and jumped, startled. I turned and looked down into the lurking darkness of the alley behind me. This place was starting to freak me out. Stories of all murders and rapes that had happened on the news replayed in my mind, making me worry about the reputation of this neighbourhood. What was I thinking, coming here alone, at this time of the day?  
  
The shadows around me flickered as I looked around the street. All of a sudden I felt strong hands clasp my shoulders and drag me into the alleyway. I tried to scream, but the gloved hand of my attacker covered my mouth. I stumbled backwards, fear rising in my throat as my attacker tightened their grip, cutting off my air.  
  
Shit I'm going to die here! I thought frantically as my brain shut down and the primitive instinct to escape kicked in. I struggled wildly, writhing like a fish out of water, not even thinking to use my gifts.  
  
'Shut up would you Brooke!' hissed the person holding me, as they released their grip. I spun around, quickly ready to attack, and then lowed my hands after recognising the strong build and arrogant stance of my reckless twin brother.  
  
'Michael? You idiot! You scared the shit out of me!' I hissed at him, gasping for breath.  
  
' s'not my fault you were so jumpy!' he drawled in his usual cocky voice. 'Now come on, we have to get out of here!' he added hurriedly, looking up at the dark sky.  
  
'Why? What's the big rush? What's going on?' I replied as I massaged my throat, thoroughly confused. 'What the hell are you playing at! I've been waiting here for ages, and then you fucking jump out and half scare me to death! What is going on!' I said angrily, pushing in front of him.  
  
'I'll explain on the way, now lets go!' he said, rolling his eyes and grabbing my arm to pull me back up the alley.  
  
I shook him off. 'Don't touch me! I'm not going anywhere!' I yelled as him, but he just turned and shrugged at me before heading back up the alley.  
  
'That's not going to work you know, just ignoring me!' I called at his receding back. He turned right and disappeared around the corner.  
  
'Come back here! Michael!' I said, but no body replied. 'Argh!' I said, frustrated, and reluctantly headed up the alley, knowing I was going to regret it. Honestly, he could be such a pain in the bum, always had to have it his way.  
  
'Wait for me!' I cried as I ran up the alley to catch up with my twin brother. When I got back out he was leaning casually on the wall, as if he had known all along that I would give in and follow him.  
  
He looked up at me and said 'come on, let's go', then turned down the street, walking with an annoying swagger, just to piss me off. I chose not to sink to his level, and said nothing, vowing to ignore him for the rest of the trip.  
  
I reluctantly followed Michael as he darted cautiously along the street, not saying a word until we came to a stop at what seemed to be out destination. Night had now completed its decent upon the city, cloaking it in a cloud of grey. The storm that had thundered around all morning still lurked in the inky sky. A cold wind blew a stray paper along the street and whipped my hair around my face, making me shiver as it penetrated my thin jacket.  
  
'So Michael are you going to tell me why you dragged me from my study without any warning, into the freezing cold to stand on the pavement in the middle of nowhere, or are you just going to stand there looking stupid?' I demanded, looking at him expectantly.  
  
He scowled and looked at the ground. "There was a raid at one of the hangouts.and I had to change to get away".  
  
"What! Your telling me you turned into a big ball of gas in front of all those bastards from the Seattle raid squad?" I hissed at him. That was Michael's power. He could turn into a black gaseous substance that allowed solid objects to pass through him. It also meant that he could slip under doors and materialise on the other side, which was useful in his illegal professions of petty thief and drug dealer. When he was in this form it was also ease to blend into shade and lurk in dark corners, this was undoubtedly how he had snuck up on me in the alley before.  
  
I looked at him suspiciously 'you weren't caught were you? Michael, look at me and tell me no one saw you!'  
  
Michael glanced at me apologetically. "They might not have got a positive ID on me, but I didn't want to take any risks, which is why we are here now." He said.  
  
"Well if you didn't want to take any risks you wouldn't be around all the bloody drop outs at your little 'hangouts' would you! Shit Michael, do you have any idea what you've done! We're going to have the Government onto us, hunting us down like feral animals because of you!' I said accusingly.  
  
"Oh for god's sake Brooke! Calm down! It's not that bad - they probably have no idea who I am, let alone you. We've got nothing to worry about." He said.  
  
"Nothing to worry about? If they've got a positive ID on you, then they're going to link me to you aren't they smart-ass! Then they'll know I'm . a mutant like you! We don't exactly have a good reputation you know, no thanks to all those mutant attacks.shit Michael, we've got to get out of here!' I said frantically.  
  
He rolled his eyes 'what do you think we're doing? Aren't you supposed to be the smart one? It's amazing how slow you can be. Did you think that I dragged you to this hole for no reason? I've arranged for a contact of mine to send someone over to pick us up. They should be here in about 5 minutes, at seven, so don't sweat it." He said, glancing at his watch.  
  
"I can't believe you. How can you be so calm about all this?" I said.  
  
"Well what do you want me to do, lose my head so we end up lying facedown in a ditch somewhere?" Michael said irritably and crossed his arms, signifying the end of the argument. I decided to let it go, and just desperately hoped he knew what he was doing. For the next five minutes I stared into the inky darkness that surrounded the pool of light we stood in, given off by the streetlight above, and felt very venerable. Sure enough, at exactly seven o'clock, two beams of light shone around the corner, and a low black car screeched to a stop in front of us.  
  
A window unwound and a low voice came from inside "Get in".  
  
We obeyed the faceless voice and quickly slid into the stuffy interior, Michael getting in the front, leaving me to the back. It was dark and smelt like a mixture of smoke, mothballs and some other unrecognisable scent that the cheep cardboard air freshener could not smother.  
  
Michael turned to the driver, who was wearing a dark coat and hat that completely hid his features. "We need somewhere to stay the night, out of town," he said. The driver took out a cigarette and lit it.  
  
I wrinkled my nose as the smoke wafted into the back, and wished I could open my window. "I can take you to a place almost out of the city, I know a place" He said in his husky voice, dragging deeply on his smoke and breathing out his nose.  
  
Michael looked doubtful. "Is it safe?" he asked.  
  
The driver turned towards him 'It's a good hide. Best your type can get under the circumstances'. I felt the hairs bristle; I did not like this guy one bit. I felt like we were striking a deal with the devil even sitting here.  
  
Michael hesitated, and then nodded 'Lets go'. The car growled, then slid down the street like a snake swimming through black water. We sat in silence as the lights of the shops flashed past. I expressed my dislike of the driver to Michael, communicating telepathically.  
  
He replied with 'have you got a better idea' before slamming his shield down, obviously he felt the same as I did, but there was nothing we could do about it.  
  
The car slowed and pulled into a run down looking hotel about half an hour later. The traffic had been pretty bad and the roads wet from a light rain. We got out and shut the doors behind us then followed the driver into the building.  
  
It was about five stories high, and had a sign at the front saying 'the horse shoe hotel' with a picture of a smiling horse beneath it that resembled a dog more than a horse.  
  
We collected a key at the front desk then headed for the elevator. Our room was on the top floor. We got to our apartment, number 313 in peeling paint, and our driver stated that he was leaving, and strutted down the hall and back into the lift. A chill passed down my spine, I was glad to see the back of him.  
  
Entering our apartment, and were sorely disappointed by the scanty furnished rooms. There was a tiny bathroom about the size of a wardrobe with the toilet and shower squashed in together, one bedroom with a double bed, and a kitchen area that consisted of two plastic chairs with a sink and cupboard thrown in the corner. To top it all off, everything was painted a horrible pasty pink colour, so it felt like you were inside the stomach of some kind of giant, poorly furnished animal.  
  
"What a hole" stated Michael as he rummaged through the contents of the tiny cupboard looking for food.  
  
"Took the words right out of my mouth," I said running my fingers through my hair.  
  
He grinned and rolled his eyes sarcastically "Dah".  
  
I smiled despite my self and headed towards the bathroom 'I'm going to take a shower'.  
  
'Yeah, whatever' he replied carelessly, as he opened a little packed of raw sugar he had found.  
  
I rolled my eyes then shut the door behind me. I undressed and got into the steamy hot water, sighing as the scolding hot water washed the tension from my muscles and relaxed for the first time today. I was brought back to reality suddenly when the hot water ran out abruptly and a cold downpour washed over me.  
  
"AH Shit!" I cried and fumbled for the taps.  
  
'Stupid bloody cheep accommodation' I mumbled and grabbed a ragged towel from the sink.  
  
'I wish I had some clean cloths to change into' I thought as I dried myself and got back into my cloths. All I had from home was my bag and $50 in my wallet. I wish I had time to grab some more stuff before I left. I wrapped the towel around my wet hair and opened the bathroom door.  
  
"Michael, showers free if you want to use it" I said, then stopped abruptly when I found him standing shock still in the middle of the room, his face pale.  
  
"What is it?" I asked him, running over.  
  
"They've found us, there's cars all over the parking lot, and they've got guns. I just saw them send up a group of people, they'll be here any minute - that fucking little rat that drove us here must have tipped off the cops." He said, and then uttered a long stream of curses.  
  
"Oh shit, I knew there was something about that guy! What are we going to do?" I said frantically, peering down from the balcony to get a better view.  
  
"How the hell should I know?" He yelled back at me. A sound from outside made me whip around towards the door.  
  
"Did you hear that?" I asked fearfully.  
  
Michael nodded, met my eyes and spoke into my head "They're on our floor".  
  
Chapter 4: 


End file.
